Monday, July 2, 2007

Trip Journal Part 4: Remembering Budapest

This is a long post, as it continues my journal of Budapest, Hungary. If you are not interested in my personal thoughts on the city and are looking for a recipe, scroll down to the bottom where there is a Hungarian recipe, Pozsonyi Kifli (Hungarian Nut Crescents). Élvez/Enjoy!




We crossed the Polish border patrol into Slovakia, a country blessed with stunning countrysides. Forty percent of Slovakia is forestland, and the views from the bus put me in such a relaxing and reflective state. Its weird because I distinctly remember my IPod being in the "Old School Rap" section and switching to my classical section... from Eazy-E to Mozart Concertos performed by flutist James Galway. If I still wrote poetry, like I did when I was young, the rolling hills would have been the perfect muse.

Five million people make up the population of Slovakia, a country that took slowly to adjusting to a market economy after 1989. An extremely educated county, nearly 100% of its residents are literate and the schools are considered some of the best in Europe. In fact, because the educational background of its residents and their ability to speak multiple languages, many call centers are now beginning to pop up in and around the big cities.

Interesting lil' tidbit...On the bus ride, we were told that (it has been said) homes with blue stripes painted on the exterior indicate a home with an "available" female. Hmmm….EHarmony? Match? Naaa....I think I need to make a trip to Home Depot to pick up some paint and a brush. Ha! Oh Boys!...Here I am!

______________Hungary

Hungary, a country rich in its history, has a fascinating time line of events that date back to the Roman Era. In brief, the Romans dominated in 35BC and the region became part of the Roman Empire. Fast forward to the Huns in 430, the reign of Mátyás, and the invasion of the Turks in 1526 that lasted 150 years. After the Turkish, the Habsburgs, trying to guarantee Hungarian nobility persevered as loyal to their new Catholic rulers by persecuting Protestants, were responsible for placing Hungary under military rule in an oppressive approach. The growth of the Hapsburgs and their influence flourished during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa (1740-80), which brought the Austrian Habsburgs closer to the Hungarians. (More about the Hapsburgs in the Vienna posts.....)

To continue the timeline…

The Ausgleich, the compromise of 1867, awarded equitable power for Hungary in the Habsburg Empire, which resulted in Austria-Hungary – one nation, two parliaments. The years between 1867 and World War I, the Golden Age of Progress, incorporated the fusion of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest. (This merger established Budapest in 1873.) But, World War I uncovered political and military Austro-Hungarian Empire flaws. But, it was WWII that Hungary became progressively engaged and the country reclaimed most of Transylvania and part of Slovakia.

Even with all this history to learn, we were only in Budapest 2 nights…most unfortunate! Budapest, a phenomenally beautiful city both rich and unfortunate in its history, is a treasure of old meets the new. The intermingling historical nuances are prominent in its landscape as the hills synchronize the Danube River with the palaces, Neo-Renaissance influence, and modern architecture.

Budapest, the subject of Allied bombing, lived through an uprising of 1956, as well as Goulash Communism – a time that kept Hungarians going with a pragmatic mix by living under a more liberal and prosperous rule than other communistic European countries. Fortunately, for Budapest, and all of Hungary, 1989 brought about the removal of the Hungarian communist party as democracy became the way of Eastern Europe.

The Capital City, Budapest is known for its thermal springs and baths. In fact, Buda comes from the Slavic word meaning water, and Pest comes from the Slavic word meaning oven. I love when words come together! The Danube Embankment (Dunakorzó) flows right through the center of the city, separating Buda from Pest. Our Hotel, which sat on the Pest side, looked out onto the Danube, and had The Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd) and Buda in its sights. So, it seemed only fitting that the group photo was taken in the presence of such beauty.

After a group photo in front of the Danube Embankment on the 19th (dad’s birthday),

the group left for Heroes Square, the Opera House, and Dohany Synagogue. Upon arriving to Heroes Square our eyes set upon the 118 foot pillar standing in the Square’s center. The pillar, with Árpád at the bottom, looks at Andrassy Út and Archangel Gabriel stands proudly on the pillar's top offering St. Istavan a crown. On one side of the pillar, a Hungarian War memorial stands, and on the other side, a memorial that pays tribute to VIP Hungarians who impacted in Hungary’s history. As you turn around in the square, the views also include the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts.

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The Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház), a 1000-person concert hall constructed in the late 1800s, was designed by Miklós Ybl. Emperor Franz Joseph gave Budapest $2 million to build the Opera House – but with stipulations. The State Opera House could not be larger than the Opera House in Vienna. As we walked through the halls, up and down the glorious staircases, and in/out of the royal boxes, the elegant grandeur was jaw dropping. At one point, mom and I stood at the top on the main staircase and tried to imagine being at an opera during that time, in dressed adorned in lace and jewels. (Not being quite the girly-girl, my images were a little more far fetched.)

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The last group tour of the day was to the Great Synagogue. Dohany Synagogue is the second largest synagogue in the world, next to New York City’s Temple Emanu-El. An impressive structure, the synagogue has seen its share of hardships. Thanks to Tony Curtis’ (who is Hungarian/Jewish) financial support, the great synagogue was refurbished after the damaged caused during WWII. In the back courtyard, a metaphorical sculpture, the Tree of Life, stands in memory of the lost lives and the mass Jewish graves that were one located on the site. The sculpture is a willow tree whose branches and leaves weep to form an upside down menorah. Each leaf is engraved with a name of a victim killed during the occupation. And, since these names are linked to families, the tribute extends to thousands.

When entering the synagogue, the church-like characteristics greet its visitors with the grand pulpit, high altar, and pipe organ. Built in the 1850s, the synagogue has an upstairs balcony, originally meant for women. Today, the balconies are only used if attendance numbers create a need for the extra seating.

Although many of us were quite tuckered after the jammed packed morning, several of us decided to walk to the Market Hall, a three level building built in the late 1890s. The levels, which cover pastries and produce, shopping booths, and eateries, are where most of us purchased our paprika. Interestingly, the market remained up and running through communism, since (as mentioned earlier) Hungary was referred to as “Goulash Communism”. I also did a little bit of shopping on Vaci Walking Street, where you can find Helia D Cream for (the US equivalent) of $6.00! The Vaci is where I bought mom’s birthday present, in one of the unique jewelry shops.

Before leaving Budapest the next day, we visited the Buda side of the city, the more hilly, residential side. The coach took us past the Elizabeth Bridge and the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchis), both connecting the city as the Danube (Dunakorzó), past Margaret Island (Margitsziget). Then, we went to the Hungarian Parliament Building which looked like a palace, rather than a government building. Built for the city’s millennium in 1896, the NeoGothic building lines the River. Today, legislature only uses an 1/8th of the building. Our group walked the royal halls, as each of us wore a “watch” that was an alarm, in case we wandered into unauthorized areas. We were also accompanied by a stone-faced armed security guard. Nonetheless, the entire building was extraordinary, with the elaborate entranceway, the legislative chamber, and the Hungarian Crown.

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After the Parliament, it was onto Matthias Church (Mátyás-Temlom). In its 800 years, the church had been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Founded by King Béla IV, the post WWII restoration represents various stages in Hungary’s history. Next to the church, the Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya) offers views of all of Budapest. Although the Bastion was not an actual fish market, it was built as part of the millennium restorations. Its 7 towers represent the 7 Magyar Tribes and the cone-shaped openings, reminiscent of the Magyar tent homes before their move west into Europe. Lastly, between the Church and the Bastion, the statue of St. István overlook visitors. St. Stephen was Hungary’s first Christian King, helped the Magyars, as well as instituted laws.

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All of the day’s sights, The Church, The Bastion, and The Statue are all in the Castle Hill area. In this area, onlookers can see the location of the Nazi Military headquarters, the 1713 Holy Trinity Plaque, The Hilton Hotel (built in 1976 after some closed-doors negotiations with Zsa Zsa Gabor), and small pieces of evidence of a 13th century wall that once was….along with a monument of King Mátyás Corvinus.

From Castle Hill, after lunch at the Hilton, we began our journey to Vienna. But, before we move on, let's check out the musicians that played effortlessly during our dinner at Dunacorso.



And the delicious food we ate....

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The views....

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Check out my other trip posts! Warsaw, Kracow (1), Kracow (2), Vienna, Prague, and my final thoughts...Café Demel.

And....Pozsonyi Kifli (Hungarian Nut Crescents) - my slightly adapted version of Chanit's recipe.

Pozsonyi Kifli (Hungarian Nut Crescents)

Dough –

2 – 2 ½ cups flour
1 cup butter, softened
pinch of salt
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg, separated
1 packet active dry yeast, mixed with ½ cup milk

Filling –

½ cup milk
½ cup sugar
grated peel of 1 lemon
½ cup walnuts, ground
3 Tbsp raisins
pinch of cinnamon
4 Tbsp sweet bread or cookie crumbs *

To make the dough -

Knead together the flour, butter, salt, sugar, egg yolk. Using the dough hook and a mixer works well. Add the yeast/milk mixture and continue to knead until you get a stiff elastic dough. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, thin… to about ¼ inch thick. Cut into even squares.

To make the filling –

Bring the milk and sugar to the boil. Add the grated lemon peel, then the ground walnuts, raisins, cinnamon (which I totally left out) and the cookie crumbs. Cool to thicken.

Once the filling is cooled, place about 1 Tbsp of the filling in the middle of each piece of dough. Roll up the cookie, make a nice crescent shape, and place onto a baking sheet two inches apart. Let stand for 30 minutes, brush the top with the egg white, and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

*Failing to remember I had some Girl Scout Cookies in the pantry, I slightly panicked when I saw I needed cookie crumbs. I don’t normally keep bread in the house, either, so that fueled my panic as well. What to do…what to do?!!! Kashi! I had Kashi’s Go Lean in the cabinet – so I threw some in the processor and hit pulse. It turned out, Kashi’s Go Lean was a fabulous stand-in! Woohoo!




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm really enjoying reading your travelogue and learning more about these jewish landmarks :)

Katie Zeller said...

What a wonderful trip!

We were in Budapest the day after the iron curtain 'fell'. Very interesting city. I would love to go back and see the changes, which, I'm sure are huge. We were on a floor for English speakers in our hotel. There was a seperate floor for Japanese, as well. It was all quite strange.

Shimada Boyce said...

Ok, I had some of the cookies and although they're not what I'm used to in a cookie, they were very delicious.

Peace

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